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Phoenix Business Journal - by Angela Gonzales
The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine paid $4 million for a 42,000-square-foot building adjacent to its Tempe campus to make room for a clinic that’s currently housed in Scottsdale.
“Our goal over the next 16 months is to relocate our clinical facility from Scottsdale to our now unified campus,” said Edward Phillips, vice president of advancement for the college.
Students no longer will be required to travel between the two facilities.
While an entire floor will be dedicated to the clinic, other space will accommodate a pharmacy and a laboratory.
The college is conducting joint research with the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, studying a plant that could stop smallpox if the virus is used as a bioterrorist threat. The research is for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Phillips said the college and Biodesign Institute also are applying for federal funding to study an herb that could slow the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Sean Donovan, communications director for the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, said the college’s growth builds on the city’s educational base.
“It’s great to see Southwest College positioning itself as a strong player in Tempe’s educational offerings,” Donovan said. “It’s good to see at a time when expansion is not necessarily on the top of everyone’s to-do list. The fact that they’re moving forward and building and growing says a lot about them.”
Naturopathic medicine is based on the belief that the human body has innate healing abilities. Physicians in that field blend modern medical science with natural medical approaches to treat disease and restore health.
It is becoming more accepted by patients, said Dr. Craig Runbeck, a naturopath and executive director of the Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board.
“When I graduated in 1997, if I went to a hospital, I was treated disdainfully,” he said. “That has changed in large part over the last 10 years. Younger doctors and nurses are much more interested in what (we) have to say. I’m hopeful for the future.”
The use of naturopathic care among American adults increased by 50 percent between 2002 and 2007, according to a study released by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. As of December 2008, 38 percent of American adults had used some form of alternative medicine in the past 12 months.
These are costs traditionally not covered by insurance companies. While some pay for chiropractic and acupuncture treatments, many supplements and homeopathic treatments offered by naturopathic doctors are not covered.
Runbeck said there are about 600 naturopathic licensees in Arizona, and the number grows by 60 or 70 a year as Southwest College graduates about 90 naturopathic doctors a year. While the majority stay in Arizona, some go back to their home states to practice.
“We get students from all over the world,” Phillips said.
As of January, there were 3,100 licensed naturopathic doctors in the country. Southwest College is one of seven accredited naturopathic medical schools in North America.
Only 15 states (including Arizona), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have licensing laws for naturopathic doctors. NDs in these places are required to graduate from a four-year, residential naturopathic medical school and pass a postdoctoral board examination to receive a license.
Southwest College has 337 students and enrollment has held steady, Phillips said, adding that he expects it to grow to 400 now that the new structure will provide more space.
“I think we could possibly go to 500, but I don’t know if we would go much beyond that,” he said. “Naturopathic medicine is very personal. It’s about individualized, comprehensive care. If we went anywhere beyond that, we might lose some of that scope of care.”
Naturopathic doctors advocate a system based on wellness, disease prevention and natural medicine.
Karen Howard, executive director of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, said today’s definition of wellness is limited to drug screening, vaccinations and other preventive strategies, such as drug therapy.
“But we drastically undervalue how changing behavior can prevent disease,” she said. “If the nation is to move past the current health care crisis, we must adopt a patient-centered health care model that will restore and maintain optimal health.”
Phillips said naturopathic doctors aren’t trying to supplant traditional medicine, but they can work hand-in-hand with medical doctors and surgeons.
For example, he said, a naturopathic physician can prepare a patient for a better surgical outcome so the patient spends fewer days in the hospital and has a quicker recovery. This type of integrative care will provide more efficiency in the health system and lower the cost of health care, he said.
Get Connected
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians: www.naturopathic.org
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine: www.scnm.edu
Licensing Laws
Licensed naturopathic physicians must fulfill continuing-education requirements annually and have a legally defined scope of practice. Eighteen states, districts and U.S. territories have licensing laws for naturopathic physicians:
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Maine
• Minnesota*
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• Puerto Rico
• Utah
• Vermont
• Washington
• U.S. Virgin Islands
* Effective July 2, 2009
Source: American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
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